The Nez Perce Agency was established in 1861 to provide services to the Nez Perce Indians of northern Idaho. Its name was changed in 1902 to the Fort Lapwai Agency when the Superintendent of the Fort Lapwai Indian School was assigned the duties of Indian agent for the Nez Perce Tribe.

''Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1873-1900'' have been microfilmed by the [http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives] as part of Microcopy Number M1070. The reports for Nez Perce Agency are on rolls 30 and 31 of that Microcopy set. Copies are available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=403511&disp=Reports+of+inspection+of+the+field+juris++ microfilm roll number 1617683]).

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== Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency ==

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Annual [[American Indian Census Rolls|''Indian Census Rolls'']] were taken at this agency from 1890 thru 1901. These rolls have been microfilmed by the [http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives] as part of their Microcopy Number M595, roll 301. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&titleno=297519&disp=Indian+census+rolls%2C+1885%2D1940++&first=101&last=200&columns=*,0,0 microfilm number 579711]). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.<br>

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[[Nez Perce Indians|Nez Perce]]

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== History ==

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The Nez Perce Agency was established in 1861 to provide services to the Nez Perce Indians of northern Idaho. It was a continuation of an agency called [[Washington East of the Cascades Indian Agency|Washington East of the Cascades]], which had been formed in 1857 to serve the Nez Perce and other Indians<ref>Hill, Edward E. ''The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880: Historical Sketches''. New York, New York: Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., 1974, pp. 74-75, 195.</ref>. The Nez Perce Agency's name was changed in 1902 to the [[Fort Lapwai Indian Agency (Idaho)|Fort Lapwai Agency]] when the Superintendent of the [[Fort Lapwai School (Idaho)|Fort Lapwai Indian School]] was assigned the duties of Indian agent for the Nez Perce Tribe.

[[Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1873-1900|''Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1873-1900'']] have been microfilmed by the [http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives] as part of Microcopy Number M1070. The reports for Nez Perce Agency, 1882-1900, are on rolls 30 and 31 of that Microcopy set<ref>''American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications''. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998, Microcopy M1070, p. 27.</ref>. Copies are available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their {{FHL|403511|title-id|disp=microfilm roll numbers 1617703-1617704}}).

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==== Census ====

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Annual [[American Indian Census Rolls|''Indian Census Rolls'']] were taken at this agency from 1890 thru 1901. These rolls have been microfilmed by the [http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives] as part of their Microcopy Number M595, roll 301<ref>''American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications''. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998, Microcopy M595, p. 51.</ref>. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their {{FHL|297519|title-id|disp=microfilm number 579711}}). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.

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The 1900 federal census included population schedules for the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The census includes the non-Indian employees of the Nez Perce Agency, as well as many pages of Indian Population Schedules for the native population of the Reservation. They are recorded as [http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1325221;w=6049;p=3 District 147 in Nez Perce County], Idaho.

*Hill, Edward E. (comp.). ''Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians''. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.

*''Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880''. National Archives Microcopy T1105.

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*''Preliminary Inventory No. 163: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs''. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Services. [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~texlance/records/bia(dc)intro.htm Available online]

Contents

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency

History

The Nez Perce Agency was established in 1861 to provide services to the Nez Perce Indians of northern Idaho. It was a continuation of an agency called Washington East of the Cascades, which had been formed in 1857 to serve the Nez Perce and other Indians[1]. The Nez Perce Agency's name was changed in 1902 to the Fort Lapwai Agency when the Superintendent of the Fort Lapwai Indian School was assigned the duties of Indian agent for the Nez Perce Tribe.

Census

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency from 1890 thru 1901. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, roll 301[4]. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their microfilm number 579711). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.

The 1900 federal census included population schedules for the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The census includes the non-Indian employees of the Nez Perce Agency, as well as many pages of Indian Population Schedules for the native population of the Reservation. They are recorded as District 147 in Nez Perce County, Idaho.

Bibliography

American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.

Hill, Edward E. (comp.). Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.